Bar perhapsManchester United‘s curly-haired winger Tahith Chong, the most conspicuous player on the pitch at Molineux last night was Adama Traore. He is a player who is rapidly building a reputation among opponents as someone to mark out of the game, the One To Watch. Wolves fans get off their seats when he gets the ball.
You wondered, then, before the teams were announced whether Ole Gunnar Solskjaer might hand the task of restraining Traore to an experienced player, say Ashley Young or Luke Shaw.
Let’s not forget Traore was fresh from embarrassing a fine left-back in Benjamin Mendy in Wolves’ comeback win overManchester Cityover the Christmas period and has undoubtedly been the Premier League’s most feared wide player of late. So while some United players were using this as a chance to prove themselves at first team level, do themselves justice and simply get through the night unscathed, Traore was a wolf out for blood.
When he saw a teenager on United’s teamsheet in the left back slot, in Brandon Williams, he must have been licking his lips.
United’s approach to handling Traore was clear. Firm and not always fair. They weren’t afraid to impede one of the Premier League’s most-fouled players. Williams, however, couldn’t follow the same blueprint for fear of giving away a penalty, given most of his battles with the winger came inside his own box. He had to be careful and was, on his 31 th United appearance.
United’s fans cheered when Harry Maguire met Traore with a beautifully-timed tackle just before the half-hour mark as the ex Middlesbrough man – build like an Olympic sprint champion and almost as quick as one – threatened to cut free after turning Williams . The 13 – year-old would have been thankful for his center-back’s intervention but he proved at other times in the opening 45 minutes that he was more than ready for the battle himself.
And Don’t be fooled, despite the seven changes that United made to their side that lost to Arsenal, this was a big enough game to judge Williams, even though he’s played in bigger ones this season.
The packed Wolves crowd – 90, 728 in attendance – the hyperbolic pre-match light show and the lively atmosphere said as much; so did United’s huge away following, who loudly encouraged Williams’ every challenge on Traore. They knew this was big, for the young full-back as much as for Solskjaer and United’s hopes for the season.
Williams could and should have been awarded a penalty before half time, when he appeared to nick the ball ahead of Leander Dendoncker and went down under the challenge.
And although both referee Paul Tierney and VAR deemed the contact not sufficient enough, it was Williams’ passionate reaction to the decision that showed those old United traits that Sir Alex Ferguson used to love to much . He was furious and used it as motivation to come through a tricky second half: at one stage Traore was forced to turn back on himself when he forgot the ball thanks to Williams’ hustling and harrying.
Then, under immense pressure as a high ball was launched into his sector and Traore pounced waiting for the mistake, Williams calmly nodded it back to Sergio Romero.
The United teenager was doing something none of City’s left-backs could do.
But his work was not quite done until Wolves showed nous in the final stages, providing a few more tests: Williams almost dived in too soon on Raul Jimenez, who then rattled the crossbar with a cross-cum-shot, while Traore would have a few more openings against the youngster before the night was out.
Make no mistake, though, when the final whistle sounded and Williams had a clean sheet to his name against a player like Traore, he will have seen that in itself as a victory.
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